2 troopers seriously injured in Chesco crash

PENN — Two state troopers were seriously injured Friday morning when their vehicle struck a tree as the pair was rushing to respond to a burglary in Chester County.

According to state police, two troopers were riding together in a marked patrol car around 5:30 a.m. on Route 796, south of Kelton Road, when the vehicle left a curve in the road and struck a tree.

Both troopers lost consciousness in the collision and their car quickly caught fire, fully engulfing the front of the vehicle. Other troopers who were responding to the burglary stopped to aid the troopers, and they were eventually able to put out the fire with extinguishers and buckets of water from nearby homes.

Firefighters and other emergency responders were able to extricate the troopers, and they were both taken to Christiana Hospital in Delaware for treatment of serious but non-life threatening injuries, according to state police.

The names of the troopers were not released as all family members have not been notified of the crash. A state police spokesman said the nature of the injuries would not be released.